Hilton Brand Dominates Space Hospitality
Lone Innovator Among Hotel Companies
Hilton established an early, visionary long game strategy to achieve its dominance in space hospitality branding. This trajectory began with imaginative PR in the 1960s, self-propelled within pop culture, and is now transforming into actual deployment of its brand and designs in a private space station.
When Hilton Hotels appeared alongside Howard Johnson’s and Pan Am in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), it may have seemed like a whimsical nod to the distant future of space travel. However, this cinematic moment was more than fiction—it helped associate Hilton with the future of space travel in the public imagination. Over time, such cultural references have supported Hilton’s early branding success in space hospitality.
More than 50 years later, Hilton is turning that moment into a competitive advantage. While other hospitality brands remain Earth-bound, Hilton has taken the lead by partnering with Voyager Space to design astronaut living quarters for the upcoming Starlab station. This move positions Hilton as a pioneer in the emerging space hospitality segment—a market poised for significant growth in the coming decades.
Hilton's brand strategy places it ahead of other global hotel chains. Meanwhile, new commercial space entrants are also making early moves to secure leadership in space hospitality.
An Early Cameo: 2001: A Space Odyssey
In 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Hilton Hotels makes a subtle but impactful appearance as the operator of a reception area on Space Station V. This inclusion was part of Stanley Kubrick’s effort to anchor the film’s futuristic vision with familiar corporate brands. Kubrick reportedly sought permission from Hilton, and executives, eager to associate the company with innovation, approved the collaboration. Product placement fees were uncommon at the time. The film also featured other leading travel and hospitality brands Pan Am and Howard Johnson’s.
The Hilton reception area appears in a key sequence when Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) arrives at the station en route to a lunar base. Floyd checks in at the Hilton lobby, drinks from a zero-gravity dispenser, and holds a brief meeting with Soviet scientists. The scene subtly reflects Cold War tensions as Floyd evades their questions about mysterious events on the moon.
The lobby's minimalist design features red Djinn chairs by famed French designer Olivier Mourgue, which became iconic after the film’s release. The futuristic look of the chairs and set design reinforced Kubrick’s meticulous world-building, blending sleek, modern aesthetics with functional architecture.
This scene emphasizes the normalization of commercial space travel, with Hilton and other brands providing warm, familiar touchpoints in a future world.
Hilton's Collaboration with Voyager Space
In September 2022, Hilton announced a partnership with Voyager Space to design astronaut living quarters for the Starlab space station. Starlab, a free-flying commercial station for scientific research and commercial activities in low Earth orbit (LEO), is expected to become operational by 2028.
Hilton will focus on creating accommodations that enhance comfort, privacy, and communal spaces to improve the experience of extended missions. Chris Nassetta, Hilton's CEO, stated, "Hilton has been innovating to improve the guest experience for more than a century, and we are thrilled to bring that expertise to the unique environment of space." While Starlab's primary goal is research, Hilton's designs may lay the foundation for future space hotels as tourism opportunities grow.
This collaboration underscores Hilton's ambition to lead in space hospitality by leveraging its experience in guest comfort to meet the evolving needs of the space industry.
PR and Pop Culture
Hilton’s space ambitions are not new. In the 1960s, during the height of the space race, Barron Hilton, an aviation and space travel enthusiast, introduced the "Lunar Hilton" concept. This PR initiative was designed to associate the brand with the growing excitement around space exploration. Announced at the 1967 American Astronautical Society (AAS) Conference, Hilton’s proposal imagined a 100-room hotel on the Moon, built underground to protect against radiation and extreme temperatures. The design featured three levels: a mechanical floor, guest rooms, and public areas, including a cocktail lounge and an observation dome offering panoramic views of Earth.
Hilton's Lunar concept reflected the era's fascination with space travel, driven by the U.S.-Soviet competition to reach the Moon. While promotional in nature, it was strategically leveraged to position Hilton as an innovator in hospitality, engaging with space-related conferences and media coverage.
The Lunar Hilton even made its way into Mad Men (Season 3, Episode 12, "The Grown-Ups" broadcast in 2009), where the Conrad Hilton character shares his dream of building a Hilton on the Moon with Don Draper. The scene features a verbal showdown over a campaign between Hilton and pitchman Don Draper. Hilton plays the money card for the win, declaring, “When I say I want the moon, I expect the moon!"
In reality, it was Conrad’s son, Barron Hilton, who was the space maven, regardless it made for great drama on the small screen. A short clip is at the end of this article.
More recently, Hilton garnered headlines by baking the first cookie in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In 2019, DoubleTree by Hilton collaborated with Zero G Kitchen and Nanoracks to develop a prototype oven for microgravity. After several experiments, astronauts succeeded in baking a DoubleTree cookie over 130 minutes at lower temperatures than on Earth. One of the cookies is now displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
These PR events position Hilton at the forefront of new territory development, orbiting high above its competitors.
The Competition: Are Other Hospitality Brands Eyeing Space?
While Hilton has taken an early lead in space hospitality through its partnership with Voyager Space on Starlab, other major hotel brands like Marriott, IHG, and Accor have yet to announce space initiatives. However, private ventures are developing space stations designed for private travelers, researchers, and tourists, opening potential partnership opportunities for hotel brands to enter the space market.
Developed by Blue Origin and Sierra Space, Orbital Reef is envisioned as a modular "mixed-use business park" in low Earth orbit, with partial operations expected by 2027 and full completion by 2030. It will provide customizable living and research spaces for tourists and tenants. Hassell Studio is designing human-centered habitat modules, including social hubs with communal tables for microgravity living, alongside key station features such as a hydroponics garden, science lab, and galley.
Axiom Space’s Axiom Station, launching its first module in 2027, will initially connect to the International Space Station (ISS) before becoming independent. To support space tourism and commercial activities, Axiom has partnered with Philippe Starck to design crew quarters featuring padded walls, color-changing LEDs, and large windows. For cuisine, Chef José Andrés is collaborating on culturally inspired meals, while GU Energy Labs is developing an in-suit nutrition system to sustain astronauts on spacewalks.
Vast’s Haven-1, launching in 2025, will host private astronauts and researchers for up to 30 days. Slightly larger than ISS quarters, its private crew spaces include a deployable communal table and observation window for Earth views. Vast plans to launch Haven-2 in 2028 with artificial gravity for more conventional living arrangements. While Vast has not revealed details about food service, these evolving stations may offer partnership opportunities for improving long-term amenities.
When Is Space Hilton’s Grand Opening?
Given the current pace of space infrastructure development, Hilton’s branding could appear in space within the next few years. The Starlab station is expected to achieve initial operational capability by 2028, ahead of the International Space Station's planned decommissioning in 2030. Once research and operational needs are established, Starlab could evolve to include broader hospitality offerings, paving the way for true space tourism accommodations.
Meanwhile, commercial spaceflights by companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are creating demand for orbit-based destinations. As the market matures, Hilton’s early involvement gives it a crucial advantage.
This clip is a must-watch for Hilton and Mad Men fans — a compelling fictional portrayal of how Hilton got to where it is today. Subtitles in Spanish are a bonus. Video: AMC